


The Birthday Party

by Ava_now



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-02-06
Packaged: 2019-10-23 07:06:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17678771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ava_now/pseuds/Ava_now
Summary: Sonny Carisi has a giraffe-themed surprise party for his 35th birthday.  This is how it happened.





	The Birthday Party

**Author's Note:**

> My first fic posted to this fandom--be gentle with me!

Sighing, he stretched slowly, feeling the pleasant burn in his muscles.  She was lying on her side, hair askew on the pillow, one eye watching him as she grinned.  “You look like a cat,” she remarked, then ran her fingertips across the slightly graying hair on his chest before tracing his crucifix.

“And you thought the answer was yoga,” he teased her, catching her hand in his.  He brought it to his lips, kissed it, before rolling toward her.  “I told you, this keeps me young.”

She laughed softly before pressing herself more closely to him and slipping a leg between his own.  “You up for round two in a bit, my youthful stud?’  She quickly found herself flat against the mattress, his body caging her in and his grin nearly blinding her.

“I think I could make that happen,” he murmured into her ear before nipping at its lobe.  His hand wandered from her hair to her shoulder before continuing over her breast to her nipple.  His thumb gently stroked the aureola before his mouth followed suit, and Benson found herself getting lost again in the feeling overwhelming her.  Sometimes she thought it was just kismet, but other times she wondered if he was as observant and detail-oriented in bed on purpose.  She allowed herself to sigh softly, and as if on cue, Barba let her nipple slip from his mouth.  Before she could respond, his tongue had started a path across her chest again, linking one nipple to the other with gentle nips, licks, and kisses.  As he started to lave her breast, she sighed again, this one sounding less content and more annoyed.

Barba lifted his head.  “Liv?  Everything okay?”  He was looking at her curiously, chin still hovering barely over her breast, and she wanted nothing more than to tell him to please continue, but if they were going to…

She reached toward the nightstand, picking up the empty box of condoms.  “It’s just, I’ve run out.  I kept meaning to pick some up, but it’s not like this has been going on for months…” she tossed the empty box to the floor.  “I mean, the chances are super low, but--”

He was already pulling away from her, sitting up in the bed and reaching for his boxer briefs, with what looked to be a permanent grin on his face.  “Don’t worry,” he reassured her as he grabbed the polo he had been wearing, “I can run down to the bodega, no problem.”  He leaned back over, kissed her, then winked.  “You won’t even miss me.”

She had rolled over, giving him an excellent view of what he was momentarily missing.  “Promises, promises,” she teased, before splaying her fingers casually over her stomach.  “Hurry back.”

She heard the groan in his throat as he turned and grabbed his jacket.  “Don’t worry,” he muttered.  “Back in a flash.”

**************

Rafael hurried out into the cold street, blending in with the people enjoying the city on an early Saturday evening.  The bodega was a short walk, and he moved quickly, motivated not only by the thought of returning to Olivia but also to dodge the snowflakes.  Looking ahead of himself, he realized there was a CVS closer than the bodega he was thinking of, and he ducked inside, hearing the bell ding his arrival.  

The store was quiet, and other than the overhead music and soft conversations between customers, he found he could easily escape into his own thoughts.  This weekend had been an incredible new step in their relationship, the first full weekend they had allowed themselves to have alone.  He had fully accepted the fact that Olivia came with a child, and that meant Noah’s needs nearly always came first.  He loved Noah, and he loved his growing relationship with the little boy nearly as much as he loved being Olivia’s lover.  He knew, had known for years, that this was the family he wanted and needed.  This was where he belonged.  And as much as he had internally doubted himself about his interactions with Noah those many years ago when the little boy was a baby, with Olivia’s encouragement he had grown to see himself as an integral part of Noah’s life.  Certainly, Noah was an integral part of his life now.  He couldn’t imagine loving a child more if he was a biological father.

It had just been crazy luck that Rollins had volunteered to have Noah over for the weekend.  Liv swore she hadn’t bribed her, but Rafael didn’t quite believe her.  He knew they had shared plenty of whispered fantasies of what they would do when they were truly alone, the thoughts of what noises they could coax from one another,  of ways they could move their lovemaking outside of the bedroom and experiment with all of the positions they’d been imagining.  He smiled to himself, thinking about Liv and learning her.  He had always envisioned her as a passionate, giving, and kind lover, but it had excited him to begin to realize that she was also fun--and as willing to try new things as he was. 

He suddenly realized he was standing in front of the condoms, and he quickly grabbed a reasonably-numbered box of Magnums.  He had always been conscious of coming back with a box that didn’t imply he expected too much or too little.  While he would love nothing more than to buy the value-box, they were still early enough in their relationship that he didn’t want her to think that was his only goal.  He started to turn away from the shelf when he noticed a variety of lubes geared for couples, and he hesitated.  One of them touted its ability to warm the skin; another was strawberry-flavored.  Before he could stop himself, Rafael tossed one of each in his basket, then headed toward the registers at the front of the store.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the elephant.  Eddie’s doppelganger was there on the shelf, staring at him, and Rafael was quickly reminded that he was here, having the time of his life with his lover, because Eddie’s little owner was displaced for a couple of days.  Next to Eddie’s twin sat a giraffe that was clearly made by the same toymaker; they resembled one another and Rafael knew he was going to buy the giraffe as he was reaching for it.  He could envision Noah’s happy smile as he embraced his new toy from Uncle Rafa.  Rafael felt the guilt in his gut ease just a little as he placed the giraffe into his basket, on top of his other items.

_ Nothing else! _ He told himself as he moved to the front of the store.  He had promised Liv he’d be back quickly but he’d been taking his own sweet time, lost in his own thoughts.  He approached an empty register.  As he was about to acknowledge the clerk, he heard the familiar voice next to him, and he suddenly wished he were anywhere but here.

“Counselor.” He could hear Finn’s grin before he even turned to look at him.  “Expanding your toy collection?”

Rafael felt his back bristle, and he immediately stood straighter.  If he had to do this in front of Finn, by God, he would do it.  He was an adult man.  He had nothing to be ashamed of.  

Handing the giraffe to the clerk, he replied, “It’s a gift, Sergeant.  Obviously.”

Finn peered into Rafael’s basket, not bothering to hide his smirk.  “I see!” he exclaimed, clearly biting back a guffaw.  “You’re buying big party balloons too!”

Barba felt the heat flushing his cheeks and his ears.  His mother always said she could read him by his ears.  Defiantly, he looked back at the sergeant.  “Well,” he responded sweetly, “it IS a party.”

Finn didn’t bother to hold back at that, and began to laugh heartily as Barba paid for his purchases and stepped aside.  He began to hand his own purchases to the clerk, when he heard a snort.

“Fine literature, Finn,” Barba remarked, picking up the paperback before the clerk could deposit it in the bag.  “Danielle Steele, huh?  Let me guess, you getting a pint of Ben & Jerry’s with that?”

“So what if I am?” the sergeant responded a bit defensively, and slipped the ice cream to the clerk, followed by his card.

Barba shook his head.  “Just another Saturday night in the city, huh?” Glancing around them, he leaned in to Finn.  “I’m silent if you are.”

Taking his card back and picking up his bag, Finn gave a firm nod.  “Deal,” he responded, following Barba out of the store.  “Have a good weekend.  And Barba?  Be good to my lieutenant.  Don’t make me have to kick your ass over this.”

For the second time that night, Barba responded, “Don’t worry.”  Then he headed back up the street, back to his waiting lover.

******************************

He was slowly rolling his hips in time to the music they had put on, some slow R&B, and he was taking his time coaxing those sounds from her, as he had promised he would.

“Rafa,” she moaned slowly, wrapping her leg higher around his hip, as he pressed his lips more firmly to her collarbone, sucking yet another bite into her skin.  Already he knew she was more vocal when he marked her, and he intended on marking her many, many times.

One hand moved slowly in his hair, and the fingernails of another ran up and down his back in rhythm with the music, occasionally roaming to his ass and squeezing, pressing him deeper inside her.  He breathed softly in her space, near her mouth, and their eyes met.  He laughed softly, thrust again out of rhythm, watched as she laughed back at him, raising her hips to meet him again.

Yes.  They could do this all night.  It was a different way to know her, to love her, to build this once tenuous but now deeply growing connection between them.  She was warm and wet and tight around him, and he now was confident he knew more about heaven than he ever thought he could.

She bucked her hips gently, encouraging him to move, wrapping her other leg around him.  She felt him pull himself up again, weight on his arms, as he began to thrust in earnest; she felt full of him physically in a way that matched her heart and her head.  Completely. You complete me. This man Jerry Maguire’d her, she laughed breathily to no one.  

“Liv?” he gasped softly, trying desperately not to snap his hips as she ground upward.

“I’m in love with you is all,” she replied in that same breathy tone, wrapping and squeezing and grinding all at once.

“Jesus,” he answered, and he felt her tighten around him, heard her cry out loudly.

Ten seconds later he answered her, his own groan loud and throaty, as he came.  “I’m in love with you too,” he whispered into her hair as soon as his mind came back to him.  “I love you.”

****************************

“So that’s where we’re at,” Rollins finished as Barba nodded and set his pen down. Carisi stood to move back to his desk, and Finn, already sitting at his computer, turned his attention to the screen.  A second later, their group focus was diverted.

“Hi guys!” Noah ran into the bullpen, Liv following behind and carrying his backpack.  “Hey look, Uncle Sonny!  Uncle Rafa got me a giraffe like Eddie the Elephant.  His name is Gerald.”

“Like  _ Giraffes Can’t Dance _ ?” Sonny asked, gently taking the giraffe Noah was handing him.

“Yep!” Noah exclaimed proudly.  “I got the book, too.”

“I dunno,” Finn interjected, shooting Barba a quick glance.  “I heard giraffes have some moves.  And they like balloons.  Big ones.”

Barba glared back.  “Interesting information, Sergeant,” he responded.  “I bet that happens a lot when there’s ice cream involved.”

Finn made a funny sound in his throat, and Barba was pretty sure he was stifling a laugh.  “Well,” he replied, “those are all terrific ideas for a weekend.”

“Hmm.” Barba smirked, then turned his attention to Noah.  “Noah, are you ready for us to go to dinner?”

“You bet!”  Noah took the giraffe back from Sonny.  “Gerald is too--he’s hungry!’

“You ready?” Rafael asked Liv as she emerged from her office.  She nodded and the two began to head toward the elevator, Noah in tow.

“What was that all about?” Rollins asked Finn, eyes narrowing on him.  “Ice cream and dancing and big balloons?  You and Barba planning a party?”  She tilted her head toward Sonny, who was focused on his computer.  She sucked in a quick breath.  “Oh wow...you guys are planning a surprise party for his birthday next week, aren’t you?”

“Uh, no,” Finn replied, eyes wide.  

Amanda smiled confidently.  “I know what you’re up to,” she said again, crossing her arms.  “And you thought you were being so clever, using giraffe as code for Carisi.  Ha!”

And so ends the story of how Sonny Carisi ended up with a giraffe-themed surprise birthday party when he turned thirty-five.


End file.
